Teen Titans/Yu Yu Hakusho:

"Titanic Spirits"

Chapter 6: "Gauntlet"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and Yu Yu Hakusho are not mine by any means. They respectively belong to DC Comics and Yoshihiro Togashi.

Author's note: We're into the final stretch now. The first chapter brought our favorite teams together. The second chapter saw the Teen Titans discover new powers. The third and fourth (fourth to those who went to adultfanfiction.net and mediaminer.org) brought Hiei and Raven together. The fifth (fourth to those who stayed on FF.Net) brought Robin and Starfire together. Now the Teen Titans and Reikai Tantei will face Trigon and his forces.

Timeline: TT, post-"Apprentice." YYH, post-"Dark Tournament."

Since that day at the beach, Robin and Starfire were practically joined at the hip. The past three days had been peaceful; no attacks of the demonic sort whatsoever occurring. Robin and Starfire had spent plenty of time together getting to know each other and simply basking in each other's company. Hiei and Raven had done very much the same thing. Of course, Kuwabara took those moments when Hiei and Raven were with each other as opportunity to get closer to Yukina. Unfortunately for him, Hiei always threw a wet blanket on Kuwabara's plans just as they were getting to the good part.

"I catch you touching her like that again, and I will remove your hands," he always said. However, it didn't escape Kuwabara's notice that Hiei never actually made good on his threats. Nevertheless, it was annoying.

When the couples weren't busy with each other, they were training. Robin and Starfire were progressing very well in the use of their powers, as were the other Teen Titans. However, no one ever actually forgot why they were training: to defeat Trigon.

After those three days of peace had passed, Koenma returned to see the Titans and Spirit Detectives.

"We cannot wait any longer," he said. "Trigon has already gathered five powerful warriors to fight for his side. It won't be too long before he storms Ningenkai and Reikai. We must act now."

Raven said nothing. Well, she didn't need to say anything because her relationship with and feelings toward Trigon were already well known.

"Who are these warriors?" Robin asked.

"Who cares?" Hiei sneered. "All you'll actually need to worry about is Trigon. He's the real threat, so why should we waste our time with his pitiful soldiers?"

"We don't know," Koenma replied. "But it is all important that you reach his realm and stop him."

"How do we do that?" Cyborg asked.

"There are various points in this world that exist in a state of interdimensional flux," Raven replied. "Points where the barriers between worlds weaken, just enough so that some careless passerby could stumble into another world and be lost forever."

"So where do we find one of those points?" Cyborg asked.

"Come with me," Koenma replied.

The Teen Titans and Spirit Detectives traveled to an isolated quarry. "We can stop right here," Koenma said.

"Sure feels like one of those points," Cyborg said.

"Tell me about it," Robin said.

"I know this place is probably one of those flux things, but how are we supposed to open it up?" Kuwabara asked.

"Think of these fluxes like partly open doors," Koenma advised. "Open enough for only one person to squeeze through. That's usually what happens. Our intent is to open it completely."

"Again, how?" Kuwabara asked.

"I'll do it," Raven said. Her eyes glowed white as she chanted. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Her spirit energy manifested itself in a bubble of black energy that released black lightning bolts. Those lightning bolts converged at a far point, and transformed into purple light. The light grew bigger, wider and shaped itself into the silhouette of a black bird, a raven to be specific.

"The portal's open now," Raven said.

That said, the Titans and Reikai Tantei stepped into the portal.

In the demonic realm that was home to Trigon, the aforementioned demon lord smirked. "So she has come to me at last. And with friends, no doubt." He chuckled and turned to five shadowed figures. "Be ready when I summon you. For now, depart."

The shadowed figures vanished.

"So this is where your dad came from," Beast Boy said. "Freaky enough place."

"We're near his base of operations," Raven said. She started walking in the direction she sensed him, driven on by rage and determination. Rage for how he had contributed to her existence, and determination to stop him.

"Hello, dear daughter," Trigon's voice said. "Do you miss me?"

"No, I do not, Father," Raven replied, her voice acid upon the last word. "Now why don't you show yourself?"

"Not yet," Trigon's voice replied. "You must face my five warriors first. Don't expect them to come at you all at once. You will face them one by one, and if you survive, only then will you have the opportunity to die at my hands."

Hiei chuckled darkly. "Hiding behind your minions, Trigon? How cowardly. Then again, you are the same creature who raped Raven's mother, so I should expect this cravenness from you."

"So you are the one Raven has taken as a mate," Trigon's voice said, and it contained a certain undertone of respect. "You have strength and you are ruthless, a perfect mate for my lovely daughter."

"Flattery will only get you a quicker death," Hiei sneered.

"Arrogance," Trigon's voice said. "I like that. Of course, I'll have to teach you some respect, but I like it."

"Enough!" Raven snapped. "Get on with it."

"As you wish," Trigon's voice said, and then it was silent.

Suddenly, pinkish-purple light burst forth from the crimson skies like a hellish starburst. It was followed by a storm of pink-purple shooting stars.

The Titans and Spirit Detectives dodged the blasts. Yusuke pointed his fist upward and fired his . . .

"Shotgun!"

A barrage of rei-ki blasts shot into the sky to counter the pink-purple blasts.

"Yusuke, stop!" Starfire shouted.

"Why?" Yusuke asked.

"When the attack started, I felt a familiar energy," Starfire replied. "It was like . . . family."

"The only family of Starfire's that I know is . . . Blackfire!" Robin shouted.

"Quite the detective, aren't you, Robin?" a female voice replied from above. Everyone looked up and saw a teenage girl, slightly older than the majority of the Teen Titans, with violet-tinged black hair and purple eyes. She was familiar to the Titans, and at the same time, drastically changed. The whites of her eyes had turned black and her pupils were slits like those of a cat. Her golden-tan skin was now metallic golden and black bat wings had grown from her back. She was dressed in a warped version of her usual clothes, which were now leather with a fishnet suit underneath. Her nails were longer, sharper, and black as midnight.

"Blackfire! What has Trigon done to you?" Starfire asked, horrified at how demonic her wayward elder sister looked.

Blackfire floated down. "He has given me new life. And I shall take yours, yours and Robin's."

"Sister!" Starfire pleaded. "Please snap out of it! You are not truly evil! You simply cannot be!"

"Don't try to tell me what I am," Blackfire sneered. "Mom and Dad did that enough."

"She won't listen to reason, Star," Robin said. "We'll still save her, but it looks like we'll have to beat her to do it."

Starfire looked down at the ground, and then her head lifted, revealing a determined expression in her glowing green eyes.

"Machine Gun Blast!" Starfire shouted, firing a wave of jade energy bursts out of her fist. Blackfire moved at inhuman speed, dodging and blocking the blasts.

"So you've learned a few new tricks, too," Blackfire said. "Not good enough to beat me, though! Black Shooting Stars!"

Blackfire shot a spray of pink-purple rei-ki bursts at Starfire and Robin, who both dodged by taking to the sky.

"I didn't know Robin could fly!" Cyborg exclaimed.

"Scientifically speaking, force is the amount of energy exerted on an object," Kurama explained. "Robin's power is to manipulate that energy. Obviously, he can also use it to levitate himself."

"Oh, you wanna join the Mile High Club?" Blackfire asked, flying up to join them. "Fine. Black Star Meteor!"

She fired a massive blast of pink-purple rei-ki at the two. Robin created a force shield to block the attack.

"You're good, Blackfire," Robin said, smiling. "But perhaps you shouldn't have taught me all those alien martial arts." The smile turned into a deadly smirk. " 'Cause I'm about to use them to take you down."

"Bring it on, Robin," Blackfire replied.

The two fought in midair, fists, feet, rei-ki blasts, and force projectiles flying at impossible speeds. Neither one was able to score a decisive hit on the other.

"You've improved, Robin," Blackfire said.

"Thank you," Robin replied sarcastically.

"But I know your Achilles heel, Robin," Blackfire said.

Robin finally noticed that the whole time Blackfire had spoken to him, she wasn't really speaking so much as purring. Her voice had been soft but underneath the softness was cold, hard steel, like an armored gauntlet in a silk glove. It was almost . . . seductive.

"And what would that be?" Robin asked, trying not to show Blackfire just how her voice was creeping him out.

Blackfire replied with, "Black Meteor Shower!" With both hands, she fired a shower of pink-purple rei-ki balls. But they weren't aimed at Robin. They were aimed at Starfire!

"No!" Robin shouted, and moved in front of Starfire, blocking as many as he could. Unfortunately, he didn't get them all, and what was left struck him with devastating force. Robin plummeted from the sky, like a broken-winged songbird.

"Robin!" Starfire shouted, flying down to catch him. He fell limply into her arms. "Robin! Please speak to me!"

His only response was a pained groan.

"You are still alive!" Starfire cheered.

"Not for long," Blackfire replied. Starfire set Robin down gently and turned to her now-demonic older sister, her eyes glowing more brightly than they'd ever glowed.

"You hurt him," Starfire said, her voice unnaturally (for her) cold and hard with rage. "I have forgiven you for many things, including trying to frame me for stealing! But now you have gone too far!" Both hands glowed with jade energy. "GATLING GUN!"

She rotated her hands in a circular pattern as she fired her attack, making the bursts of rei-ki come out like the bullets in a gatling gun. Blackfire dodged the storm of rei-ki bursts as well as she could, but an angered Starfire was not a Starfire to be taken lightly. As fast as she was dodging, it wasn't fast enough to avoid all the blasts.

Starfire's rei-ki aura blazed bright emerald, and she charged up a ball of rei-ki in both hands. "Supernova!" She threw the ball at Blackfire and it exploded in a wave of jade energy, blasting Blackfire back down to the ground.

Blackfire looked up at Starfire, smiling. "Are you going to finish me off?"

"No, I shall not kill you, sister," Starfire replied. She turned away from her and went to Robin.

"I'm still the better fighter," Blackfire said silkily. "Wanna know why? Because I know this: Never turn your back on your opponent!" She fired a blast of pink/purple rei-ki at Starfire.

"No!" Robin shouted, waking up and knocking Starfire out of the way of the attack in one swift motion. In that same motion, he'd created a force shield, reflecting the attack at Blackfire. Her own blast, meant to kill her own sister, had struck her with such tremendous force that it had slammed her into a rock fixture. Blackfire let out a small moan of pain and fell over, barely moving.

"Blackfire!" Starfire shouted and ran to her. She turned her over, noting the bruises that marred her body --- well, what she could see of it through the mesh undersuit. Robin came over as well. "Sister, are you still living?"

"What's it to you, Koriand'r?" Blackfire asked.

"I did not ever truly wish you harm, Komand'r," Starfire replied.

Blackfire chuckled. "Of course you didn't. Not like you actually have it in you to really wanna hurt someone." She smiled, not an evil smile, not an arrogant one, just a somewhat sad smile. "When you get to see Trigon, kick his ass for me, will ya?"

"You wish me to kick his donkey?" Starfire asked.

"No, it's a way of saying, 'beat him up,'" Blackfire replied.

"Earth phrases are still strange to me," Starfire admitted. She got serious again. "I shall heal you." Her hands glowed with green energy. "Nova Healing."

The energy spread over Blackfire, not only healing her wounds, but also purging her of Trigon's evil. Her wings shrank and receded into her back, and her eyes, nails, and skin had gone back to normal. Blackfire got up.

"Uh, you sure healing her was a good idea, Star?" Beast Boy asked.

"Blackfire has good in her heart," Starfire replied. "I am sure that she will help us."

"Damn straight," Blackfire confirmed. "No one messes with my head and turns me into an evil X'Hal! That Trigon bastard is going to get it good!"

"In the meantime," Hiei said, "our next challenge will not be very far. I'll fight, whoever it is."

"Not without me," Raven said.

"Of course not," Hiei replied. "Besides, there's no one else I can think of who I'd rather have fighting by my side."

The Teen Titans and Reikai Tantei, now joined by Blackfire, continued walking to Trigon's castle. However, they were interrupted when the very ground they stood on began to roll like a tidal wave.

"What the hell is this?!" Yusuke asked.

"It must be Jinx!" Cyborg shouted.

"Did someone say my name?" a feminine, mocking voice asked. The Titans and Detectives got up to look at the source of the voice, and saw Jinx.

"Is it just me, or is that girl seriously anorexic?" Yusuke asked.

Very lovely, but I prefer my women to be more voluptuous, Kurama thought.

Hiei just muttered, "Damn pervert demon fox."

"Let me guess," Robin said, "Trigon recruited you, too?"

"I always did want to fight you guys again," Jinx said, her pink eyes shining evilly. Then she saw Hiei. "Who's the cutie with the sword?"

"Hey!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "I got a sword!"

"Who cares?" Jinx sneered. "I'm interested in the fire demon. He's cute."

"He's my fire demon," Raven snarled.

"We'll see," Jinx replied. "We'll see."

"Enough! Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, sending a wave of shadow energy at Jinx. Jinx simply hexed it so that it struck Hiei instead.

"Oops," Jinx said.

"A witch," Hiei said. "Interesting." He smirked. "Still, don't think you have a chance of beating me and Raven."

Jinx sent waves of hex energy at Hiei and Raven. Raven countered with another blast of shadow-telekinetic energy. The blast didn't really seem to faze Jinx, though.

I have an idea, Hiei thought to Raven.

What? Raven thought.

If Jinx's power depends on her hands, then we should keep those hands busy, Hiei replied.

I get it, Raven said.

Hiei clenched his fists as those fists became engulfed in flames. "Fist of the Mortal Flame!" He punched Jinx at hyper-speed with his flaming fists. She was blocking as best as she could, but his attacks knocked her for quite a loop, and as she'd blocked, she'd been diverted from using her hands to hex him.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven shouted, trapping Jinx in a black energy bubble and shooting that bubble at a rock fixture. Unfortunately, Jinx recovered enough to hex the bubble, making it pop.

"Good one, Raven and Hiei," Jinx said. She fired her hex blasts directly at them. Hiei drew his sword and used it to reflect the blasts back at Jinx.

"Time to end this," Hiei said. Then Raven gripped the sword with him and they chanted, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

When they chanted together, Raven's shadow energies wrapped around Hiei's sword, and then ignited into flame.

"Raven Sword of the Darkness Flame!" they shouted, slashing Jinx with the flaming dark sword enough times to take her down for the count.

"Where did that come from?" Kuwabara asked.

"That is the power of two lovers working as one," Genkai replied sagely. "Love can be a powerful force."

"What do we do with her now?" Beast Boy asked.

"We keep her with us," Robin replied.

"As our prisoner?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not quite," Robin replied.

Starfire walked to Jinx and once again used the Nova Healing power, healing Jinx and purifying her. "How do you feel?" she asked after Jinx arose.

"A lot better than I have in a while," the pink-haired enchantress replied. She smiled. "Now let's go get Trigon."

They continued walking again, until they were once again interrupted, this time by a burst of light.

"What's that?!" Kuwabara asked.

"Dr. Light," Raven replied darkly.

A being seemingly constructed entirely of light emerged from the initial flare. "Correct you are. I have returned, to bring you all into the harsh light of day!" He blasted them with a burst of light.

Kurama just chuckled. "You forget. Light is good for plants." He drew a rose from his hair. "Rose Whip!" The rose's petals flew off and the stem extended into a deadly, thorny whip.

"Ooh, whips," Blackfire said. "I like this guy already."

"Your plant creations are doubtlessly strong, but too much light and not enough water withers plants," Dr. Light replied. He fired a burst of light at Kurama, who dodged it.

Beast Boy morphed into a green thunderbird and flew at Dr. Light, bringing down lightning and rain.

"Oh, not you again," Dr. Light replied in mock fright. "Have a taste of this, birdie!" He exploded a ball of light in Beast Boy's eyes, shocking him into human shape and blinding him.

Kurama swung his rose whip like a cowboy swinging a lasso, and threw it at Dr. Light, binding him.

"You cannot bind something that travels at 186,000 miles per second," Dr. Light protested. He started to change into pure light, but was entrapped even further. "What is this? What have you done?!"

"I used Beast Boy's attack as a diversion so that I could slip one of my seeds inside you," Kurama replied. "It has fed off your light and is now binding you. At my will, it will become manifest."

Then, the seed bloomed inside Dr. Light, and plant vines bound him, feeding off his light until there was no more of him. Then beautiful flowers bloomed at the spot where Dr. Light had once been.

"Whoa," Beast Boy said. "Neat." He paused. "Hey! You used me as a distraction?"

"Yes," Kurama replied. "Now let's go."

They kept going until . . .

"Again with this?" Robin asked. This time, it was metal tentacles stabbing into the ground. Everyone looked up, and at the nexus of those tentacles was . . .

Gizmo.

"What is with that little freak?" Cyborg asked. "He always shows up!"

"Hey there, crud-head," Gizmo sneered. "Ready to get disconnected?"

"Disconnect this!" Cyborg shouted, activating the plasma cannon mode of his arm and blasting Gizmo with a bolt of techno-spirit lightning.

"Two can play at that game," Gizmo replied as electricity surged through his tentacles and converged on him. He channeled that electricity into a ball and shot it at Cyborg's blast, canceling it out. Gizmo lifted a tentacle, and its tip split open into a hook, grabbing Cyborg. "Taser!"

Cyborg was shocked. Literally.

"You little punk!" Kuwabara shouted. "Spirit Sword Double!" He summoned two Spirit Swords and slashed at Gizmo's tentacles, cutting off two. Cyborg ripped off the piece of tentacle that had previously trapped him.

"Thanks, Kuwabara," Cyborg said.

"No problem," Kuwabara said. Then to Gizmo, "Not so tough without your little cyber-tentacles, are ya, you little punk?!"

Gizmo just laughed.

"What the hell's so funny?!" Kuwabara asked.

Gizmo's tentacles regenerated, and while the bottom pair held him up, the top pair's tips opened up into hooks.

"Death Surge!" Gizmo shouted, firing black electrical pulses at Cyborg, who jumped out of the way. "Where'd you go, you oversized piece of techno-crap?!"

"Rai, kaminari --- Rava Shock!" Cyborg shouted from behind him, blasting the cybernetic implant that Gizmo's tentacles grew from. The techno-spirit lightning spread throughout Gizmo's tentacles and biological body, shocking him senseless. Gizmo fell to the ground, a smoking heap.

"I don't think he'll be doing any more fighting," Kuwabara said.

"Just one more," Genkai said. "One more and we will be facing Trigon himself."

So the Teen Titans, Reikai Tantei, Blackfire, and Jinx continued their path to Trigon's headquarters. Again, their path was interrupted, this time by a rumble in the ground.

"Who was that?" Yusuke asked.

"Guess who?" a low, rumbling voice asked.

"Mammoth!" Robin shouted.

Indeed, it was.

"I'll handle this one," Yusuke said.

"Not without me, slacker," Genkai said.

"Fine, fine," Yusuke said.

"You two puny little punks think you can handle me?" Mammoth asked. He punched the ground, sending shockwaves at Yusuke and Genkai, who both jumped into the air to avoid the attack. Genkai retaliated with a hard kick to Mammoth's chest. She spun around and kicked upwards, striking his chin and sending his head flying upward. (A/N: Not literally, just tilting it hard.) Mammoth stumbled back, but was surprisingly quick to counter with a punch that would've done some damage if he weren't so slow.

"Your problem is that those muscles of yours weigh you down," Genkai said. "Sacrificing speed for power is never a good idea."

"Talk all you want," Mammoth replied. "You may be lighter and faster, but you'll get tired, and that's when the real pain will begin."

"You want pain?" Yusuke asked. "Here's pain! Spirit Gun!" He fired the blast at Mammoth, striking him dead center. Mammoth staggered, almost fell, but kept his footing. He resumed his attack, but was generally unsuccessful in making a good hit on either Yusuke or Genkai.

"It's time to finish this," Genkai said. "Ready, Yusuke?"

"You know it," Yusuke replied. They fired the Shotgun attack, blasting Mammoth with a spray of rei-ki bursts. The barrage proved very hard to bear, even for Mammoth, and now he was barely standing.

Yusuke and Genkai shifted into a strange pose, mirroring each other. Then, they both began to chant.

"What is this chant they are performing?" Starfire asked.

"They're summoning their full power to finish off Mammoth," Jinx replied.

As the chant finished, Yusuke's and Genkai's energies filled the unnatural atmosphere.

"Such beautiful light," Blackfire said.

"Spirit Wave!" Yusuke and Genkai shouted, channeling the amassed power into a combined wave of devastating force, knocking Mammoth down for good.

"It's official," Yusuke said once the energy had faded. "That guy's not getting up for a good long while, assuming he ever does."

"You have no one to hide behind, Father," Raven declared, her voice filling with rancor on the last word. "So come out and face us now!"

Suddenly, the air rippled in front of them, turning black and lurid shades of red and purple. The ripple formed itself into an impossibly tall and massive humanoid figure and dissipated to reveal Trigon.

"I am here now," Trigon said. "And you will die."

End Notes: I am so evil to end it there, aren't I? Don't worry, the next chapter's going to contain the Titans' and Spirit Detectives' fight with Trigon. You'll like it very much. Until next time.